Book of Genesis

The Book of Genesis (from Greek Γένεσις, Génesis, 'Origin'; Biblical Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית‎, romanized: Bərēʾšīṯ, lit. 'In [the] Beginning'; Latin: Liber Genesis) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The Hebrew name bereshit ('in the beginning') is taken directly from the first word. The primary narrative of Genesis includes a legendary account of the creation of the world, the early history of the human race, and the origins of the Jewish people. In Judaism, the theological importance of Genesis centers on the covenants linking God to his chosen people and the people to the Promised Land.

Genesis is part of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible (or Pentateuch). Tradition credits Moses as the Torah's author. However, there is scholarly consensus that the Book of Genesis was composed several centuries later, after the Babylonian captivity, possibly in the fifth century BCE. Based on the scientific interpretation of archaeological, genetic, and linguistic evidence, mainstream biblical scholars consider Genesis to be primarily mythological rather than historical.